Excuses Excuses Excuses

Where is the perfect quote that shares the frustrations of writers? Often, I find articles simply stating  "write 20 minutes a day, etc. etc. etc."  Then I scream like Cathy in the cartoons, ACK! 

Don't they, whoever they are, ever have chores, housework, gardening, walks to take, exercises to do, friends to lunch with, beauty secrets to discover, a game of golf to play, travels to take, books to read, or excuses like I have today? How could leave out my favorite excuse for not writing? I cherish the time when I close my eyes and take an afternoon nap.   

It's been three weeks since I exercised my brain by writing,and I've missed it. But, I've completed many projects that reward my desire for 'immediate gratification.'   

I started painting the front and back doors in April but humidity and weather stopped me. So when we experienced a dryer day last week I returned to this project. It could still use some touch up, but I resisted today and turned instead to my Art Gecko room for inspiration. 

Of course, after seeing a picture of myself in a golf tournament recently, I realized that I needed a new hairdo, as my other one expired. The old graying long hair was easy to care for, but not peppy and sporty. So now I feel younger, and isn't that important?













Our hearts nearly broke during the last two weeks as our lively dog,Lucy, suffered miserably from eating a dead animal. One room in our house took the brunt of her vomit and diarrhea!  After the carpet cleaner slaved to clean the messes, we realized that we needed to cut out the carpet immediately, before company arrives this week.  Next we will order new carpet.

I am happy to report that Lucy is once again healthy and we are happy. 

But in the meantime I noticed the clutter in the closet. Naturally, I wanted closure on that task, so rather than write about visiting Presidential Libraries, playing in golf tournaments, or laughing with life, I cleaned the closet which then led to a stack of items to take to Goodwill. More Excuses!  

Best of all, Jack and I have divided forces and worked together to create a beautiful yard, and yes, it took me away from writing and playfully creating stories but the rewards are well worth it.  

Outside with nature is my salvation.

With a long sigh I murmur to myself, "Sometimes I struggle with a full platter filled with living every day to the fullest." Then I notice the radiant blue jay sitting on our feeder by my writing window, "This is the life I enjoy."

In My Hand

Once we lived on ten acres of wooded hillside. The spacious windows in our split level native stone home looked up and down the hills that were dotted with gnarly old Black Jack Oaks. One day while sitting at the window watching the birds at the feeder I noticed a hummingbird that seem to be struggling at the sweet water feeder.  The hummingbird’s wings fluttered, then its tiny body fell slightly, as if it couldn’t back out of the feeder.  I soon realized that the bird’s tiny beak was stuck in the feeder.

I rushed to the rescue. Upon climbing the kitchen ladder I noticed that large black ants filled the feeder. The hummingbird’s beak apparently had stuck an ant inside the sweet water and couldn’t pull back out. I watched the tiny bird fight to back out. Slowly, I lifted by arm and hand to the bird.  Placing my hand around the tiny bird to help in some way, I held it still and felt the beating heart hammering in a body the size of my thumb. But nothing I could do helped. At last, I pulled the hummingbird away from the feeder breaking his beak in the process.

I cried for the injured bird, and screamed and kicked the dirt at the black ants who’d caused this pain. I carried the tiny bird in the palm of my hand for a few minutes, feeling his heart beat and tiny flutters of his wings before he died. Then I placed him in my pink bougainvillea growing in the back yard.

With tears running down my cheeks I thought of an old story about the Elephant and the Hummingbird.

Once when elephant went walking through the jungle he saw a tiny hummingbird lying flat on its back along the path.  The bird’s feet were raised up into the air.

“What on earth are you doing?” chuckled the elephant?

Hummingbird replied, “Didn’t you hear? The sky might fall today and if that should happen, I’m ready to do my part to hold it up.”

Elephant looked upwards and saw the heavy gray clouds. Then he laughed and mocked at the tiny bird, “So you think those tiny feet of yours could hold up that sky?”

“No, not alone I can’t, but with a little help from my friends we can. What will you do elephant?"

* Thank you to Jim Smith, Alex Beury, and Carol Torpey for these lovely hummingbird pictures.